Introduction
The classic books Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley address the human experience uniquely. Despite their distinctions, both novels have characters that change significantly over the plot. This article will compare and contrast the comparable changes of Jane Eyre and Victor Frankenstein using a Marxist lens.
The Marxist theory contends that the capitalist system upholds inequality and exploitation by seeing society through economic class conflict. The Marxist reading of literature investigates how social and economic systems influence the characters’ experiences and how they react to them. The class structure impacts Jane Eyre and Victor Frankenstein in various ways, resulting in their transformations.
Character Comparison
Influences on Character Development
Jane Eyre
The main character of Jane Eyre is a young woman who has experienced marginalization due to her social status and gender. Jane is neglected and abused by her aunt and cousins and is born into poverty. Despite these obstacles, Jane is determined to assert her individuality and make a name for herself (Fraiman 90). She accepts a position as a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she develops feelings for the employer, Mr. Rochester (Brontë 7). However, Jane decides to leave Thornfield and begin a new life after discovering he is already married (Brontë 252).
Jane’s desire for autonomy and agency is the primary motivator for her change throughout the book. She rejects living according to social norms that state women should be submissive to and obedient to males. Instead, she tries to establish independence from male authority and be seen as an individual. Her transition is completed when she receives a large inheritance from her uncle, which enables her to live independently without needing a man to provide for her.
Victor Frankenstein
Similarly, Victor Frankenstein’s development in Frankenstein is influenced by his social standing. Young Victor comes from an affluent household with access to resources and education. He develops an obsession with producing life out of a desire to escape the confines of human existence (Shelley 25). However, since he cannot exert control over or comprehend the effects of his choices, his creation ultimately brings about his demise.
It is possible to see Victor’s change as a critique of the capitalist system. He can pursue his goals without considering the repercussions because of his privilege and access to resources. He is motivated by a desire to dominate nature and do great things. However, his arrogance finally brings him to ruin as his invention spirals out of control and obliterates everything he loves (Shelley 250). Victor’s change might be seen as an important warning about the dangers of unbridled ambition and the pursuit of personal recognition at the expense of others.
Nature of Character Transformation
Jane Eyre
The protagonist of Jane Eyre undergoes a change that might be interpreted as a journey of self-realization. Jane confronts emotions of insecurities rooted in her early childhood traumas throughout the book. She felt humiliated and worthless since her aunt and cousins ignored and abused her (Fraiman 90). However, as she gets older, Jane learns to stand up for herself and resist those who would mistreat her (Brontë 510). She faces many obstacles and disappointments on her path to self-discovery, but ultimately, she becomes a self-assured and confident woman.
Victor Frankenstein
In Victor’s instance, it is possible to interpret his fixation with creating life as a manifestation of his ambition to overcome the constraints of human existence and achieve supreme status. His early experiences, where he was encouraged to believe in the value of science and the capacity of humans to influence the natural world, served as the foundation for this goal (Shelley 55). Additionally, it is possible to see Victor’s construction of the monster expressing his suppressed fears and desires. The monster represents Victor’s deeper mentality, such as his emotions of social alienation and solitude. Victor can put these emotions into a physical form by creating the monster, which allows him to externalize them.
Comparison
The parallel changes of Jane Eyre and Victor Frankenstein show how social and economic factors, as well as unconscious impulses and tensions, influence people’s personalities. Jane’s change is motivated by her need for autonomy and agency in a culture that tries to restrict and oppress women (Fraiman 110). On the other side, Victor’s metamorphosis is motivated by his ambition to rise above the limitations of human existence and acquire godlike status.
Both characters encounter obstacles and failures on their path to change, but they grow stronger and more self-aware. With her freedom from the limitations of the male rule comes Jane’s inheritance of riches and property. On the other hand, Victor is compelled to face the repercussions of his choices and accept his limits as a human.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a Marxist perspective may be used to comprehend the similar developments of Jane Eyre and Victor Frankenstein. Both characters’ social and economic environments, as well as their inner desires and conflicts, influence them. By looking at these changes, readers may better understand how people are formed by their environments and the forces that motivate human conduct. Readers may also see the possible repercussions of unrestrained ambition and the pursuit of one’s fortune at the expense of others.
Works Cited
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Downey and Company, Limited, 1898.
Fraiman, Susan. “4. Jane Eyre’s Fall From Grace.” Unbecoming Women, Columbia UP, Dec. 1993, pp. 88–120.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. “Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus.” Amsterdam University Press eBooks, Amsterdam UP, Dec. 2018.